Growth through Service

The question believers often ask is how they might grow in their faith for healing and in their effectiveness in ministry. Healing is supernatural, but like many other supernatural things, it has natural analogies. The New Birth is supernatural also, but it has natural analogies, as seen in the parable of the sower. Jesus also compared healing to bread, when He told the Canaanite woman in Matthew 7:27:

“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”

Jesus likened healing to bread and being healed as eating bread. It was not for nothing that bread was an element in the Last Supper—Jesus’ blood (wine) for the forgiveness of our sins, and His Body (bread) for the healing of our bodies.

Let’s return to the topic then. How can we grow the fastest? By reading the Word? By praying? By meditating on the Word? These are all good and profitable, but they are not the major means by which we grow in faith and effectiveness in healing. We do so by practice, or in other words, through service.

If we wanted to become stronger, we could read all the exercise manuals and training programs in the world, but if we never got into a gym and started a regular training program, nothing would happen. If we wanted to become a concert pianist and never played a piano, but only read music books, well, you get the idea. In 1 Corinthians 9:25, we read,

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

To become more effective in healing, we must do it, we must train. We should join a local Healing Room, our church’s healing ministry (if one exists), get trained, understudy those who are moving in knowledge and power, and begin ministering healing ourselves. Sorry, there are no short cuts. Repetition creates experience. In Hebrews 5:14, we read,

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Repetition prepares us to deal with a wider range of circumstances and trains us in experiencing God in the healing arena. Constant use is key to every aspect of our faith walk.

The ‘Lone Ranger’ mentality is not very effective, although God does call some individuals eventually into very powerful individual healing ministries. However, if you ever studied the lives of these mightily-used individuals, you will note they all started working under another ministry, where their gifts and callings were developed and refined. I urge you to do the same, and may the Lord anoint you greatly for the work He has called you to. Amen.